A former traffic cop said his new Volkswagen car was not fit for purpose on Cornish roads because it keeps automatically performing emergency braking without warning.

Clever technology in Mark Leath’s four-wheel-drive Tiguan - known as Front Assist - appears to believe it is about to crash and brakes automatically even though the road is clear - but he thinks the problem may lie in the Cornish hedge.

In extreme cases, the car has brought itself to a complete emergency stop, prompting fears from Mr Leath that the manoeuvre could cause a crash. In such circumstances, there is nothing the driver can do.

His wife Laraine Leath said she was now too scared to drive the vehicle.

Despite sending the car back to the garage for checks, the couple from Mullion said that VW has refused to replace it or refund them.

Laraine and Mark Leath from Mullion with their car which has a mind of its own (Image: Greg Martin)

Mr Leath, 58, said he thought that high Cornish hedgerows were confusing the car’s radar system. He said: “I am guessing this system was designed and tested, probably, in Germany, where you don’t have high hedges on either side of the road. I am saying it’s not fit for purpose and not fit to be used in the country lanes in Cornwall.”

The car is designed to automatically take action if it detects a possible obstruction in the road ahead. It first gives an alarm call and a warning symbol lights up on the dashboard. If the driver fails to take action, the on-board computer can apply the brakes and, in extreme circumstances, perform a full emergency stop.

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As a retired Devon and Cornwall police officer of 26 years, including stints as a traffic cop and accident reduction officer, Mr Leath is no stranger to driving vehicles or the dangers of the road.

He added: “What worries me is that it’s so random and we don’t know when it’s going to happen. If I am going into a bend, it could activate.

“Imagine I am doing 60mph and the brakes activate. I could lose stability of the vehicle and potentially lose control. If I go across the road or hit another vehicle or even kill someone, then I would be to blame. I couldn’t prove it wasn’t me because, according to VW, there’s no system for recording these things.”

The couple bought the Tiguan last December but spotted a problem with the automatic safety system on their first drive. Despite taking the car back four times, the couple have been told there was no fault with the radar or sophisticated safety technology.

Yet on a test drive in the car a few hundred yards from the couple’s home on the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall Live witnessed the breaking system kicking in first hand. You can see a video of the moment above.

On a relatively straight stretch of road leading out of Mullion village, the car pinged into life of its own accord without any obstruction or other vehicles in front or behind. The alarm sounded, the seat belts tensed and the car immediately applied automatic braking, although it did not come to a complete stop.

The car’s behaviour was unnerving – not least as there was no warning of the sudden braking.

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Mr Leath added: “It takes me by surprise. There are a couple of occasions where it’s come to a complete stop. It’s disappointing because you don't want to spend your money on a brand new car and not be able to drive it.”

Cornwall Live asked Volkswagen UK for a comment but was told the company was still investigating the couple’s claims and declined to comment at this time.

On its website, VW says: "Front Assist monitors the traffic situation in front of your car, warning you when you get too close and even applying the brakes to help avoid collision.

"Judging the speed and distance of other road users isn’t always easy, so Front Assist does it for you. It uses radar sensors to measure the distance and relative speed of other vehicles ahead and provides you with an early warning system. If it detects a potential rear-end collision, Front Assist alerts you visually and audibly, while also preparing the brakes for emergency braking.

"The city emergency brake function is active in urban traffic at speeds up to 19 miles per hour. If you don’t brake enough Front Assist boosts the braking pressure to prevent a collision. And if you don’t brake at all Front Assist automatically steps in and does it for you. It’s a bit like having an attentive front passenger beside you with their own brake pedal.

"That way Front Assist helps you prevent an accident, or at least minimise the consequences."

On a 'help' section of its site, in response to someone asking if Front Assist can be permanently turned off, albeit on a different car model, it said: "Volkswagen recommends keeping the area monitoring and advance warning systems activated at all times. The systems cannot be permanently disabled but you can deactivate them and instructions can be found in the vehicle handbook."

A VW spokesman has subsequently said: "Rather than an emergency stop, the video shows the Front Assist system giving an acoustic warning and a quick jolt of the brakes, in order to draw the driver's attention to a perceived dangerous situation.

"Any automatic braking interventions can be overruled by the driver of the vehicle.

"The owner's manual explains how Front Assist can be adjusted by the driver to give 'early', 'medium' or 'late' warnings, and how the system can be switched off for a journey, should unnecessary warnings be experienced.

"As a first step for this specific case we would advise for the vehicle to be returned to a workshop to have the system checked and calibration performed."